Let Old Dogs Lie
by remthedogsitter
Summary: 3rd Part Dogs Series Being back in Konoha wasn't the quite retirement they were hoping for. The secret of the dogs and Kakashi's rise to power makes for a bloody mess of political intentions and intervillage stability. But with Aya being pregnant in the chaos will Kakashi's new family live to see and raise the next generation? kakairu eventual sasunaru gaaralee
1. A Prelude: After Happily Ever After

**Let Old Dogs Lie **

**Author: remthedogsitter**

**Summary: (3****rd ****Part Dogs Series) Being back in Konoha wasn't the quite retirement they were hoping for. The secret of the dogs and Kakashi's rise to power makes for a bloody mess of political intentions and intervillage stability. But with Aya being pregnant in the chaos will Kakashi's new family live to see the raise the next generation?**

**A/N: Here's a third installment to the series, not as light hearted as ODM and not as weird/mindfuck as SD. I want to develop more characters and relationships with this piece, there'll be more of Naruto, Sasuke, the dogs and maybe some other minor pairings I've been getting into. In any case, feel free to read and review and follow the other story Dog Gone Days, a bunch of drabbles and ficlets set in the Dogs universe and it'll be helpful to fill some potholes for this fiction/series as well. Cheers! –REM **

**A Prelude: After Happily Ever After**

Iruka went through his daily training routine with ease, Tsunade had suggested it once they settled back into the village. For almost six years he had been absent and time certainly took a toll on the whole village, especially with the Copy nin being absent for two of those years. Even though he spent three years in Mirai's illusionary world, he felt thankful—the memories of being a blind man still so vividly remembered sharpened his already superb ability at controlling chakra, not to mention his now widened reserves thanks to constantly pumping out chakra for the past few years. Tsunade made sure his new skills were put to good use, at least in the village for training and he vowed (or renewed an old vow) to accept any mission she sees fit and as a last option. He was well worn by the harsh climate and using his chakra as a sort of sonar constantly improved his attention greatly, he was made even stronger over the years. It was not a fact he wanted publicly known right now, the balance in power was already delicate enough as is.

Iruka breathed deeply, closing his eyes. He was balanced on a wooden staff perched on the ground, his feet perfectly balanced on the curled end of the wood. He did a flip in the air and landed on one of the modified balance training posts: wooden poles of different lengths, all shaking when stepped on, demanding a mastery over one's center. The whole point of the exercise was to use as little chakra as possible and currently Iruka was using next to none. He threw a kunai to cut the thin wire that held a small network of projectiles and targets and almost immediately the tan man was dodging and launching his own counter attack all while jumping from one pole to the next. Most morning routines ended like this.

His first day back at the academy felt like his first years of teaching all over again. Those that substituted him at best were those like the elders of the village, set out to make the students machines and he missed a good half a decade of children (all genin and higher now maybe). _Better late than never _a few months in and he's already making a good impression with the parents, some who remember him and some were even his students once upon a time and the rest were slowly converting. The thing that surprised him the most however were the refugee children that he taught the year he found the pups, not so small children now but making their own names for themselves in the world of ninja (but that was another story).

Satisfaction wasn't the same however, to his very being he loved to teach children but something else, a large part the shepherd/protector that had been his persona of the past few years yearned for the solitary life of the mountain. There was something tiring about this life as a ninja, the agitation of Kakashi risking his life (the risk higher still with every day that passes and age gained) and at the times the way they were manipulated by the elders… was spiritually tiring.

The Beginning

To come home after six years, he paused at the gate and breathed deep. To be back in Fire Country, the smell of smoke and leaves called to something so deep and instinctual inside him that in a single moment he recalled everything to the smallest pebble in this place. Winter was over, the air was cool and the flora and fauna thrived quite vividly, the gates of the Village Hidden in the Leaves loomed before them.

"Welcome home Iruka." Kakashi whispered to him softly, the pale hand curled tighter around his own, hardly letting go since they began the journey back. It was a prize hard fought and earned.

If it wasn't Kotetsu and Izumo at the gate, no one else would have believed two shinobi known to be dead had returned home.

Tsunade hit them halfway across the village of course, her anger booming but cooled just as quickly, hugging them both tightly. "Welcome home, the both of you." Naruto ran in a few moments after, screaming unintelligible aside from what was the names of both his senseis.

But their return was months ago, and now their Hokage that welcomed them back into village was being welcomed into their home. An air of seriousness hung heavily when she entered the Hatake compound. The dogs sensed her arrival and instead of running up to greet her, bowed their heads slightly, respect given to someone of very high rank.

"You'll take after me Kakashi, in a year's time. You'll be the next Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves."

But for the Copy Nin to be absent from the village for three years and the Village's greatest teacher (so they discovered that much later) gone for six—a lifetime of change had already occurred. All was not well in the Village Hidden in the Leaves.


	2. Chapter 1: Small Mercies

**Let Sleeping Dogs Lie **

**Chapter 1: Small Mercies**

_Months ago_

A month of difficult travels ends here when they see the familiar gates of Konoha in the distance. Kakashi was tense beside him, trying to seem as harmless as possible if not as most not like himself as possible. They were weatherworn and exhausted having cut the travel time in half since they had after all been gone from home long enough.

To say Kakashi wasn't surprised to be surrounded by ANBU the moment he was within sight of the guards was an understatement. He expected to be attacked first if not bound and gagged and immobilized. He raised his hands and wiggled off all visible weapon pouches, Iruka had put his staff down on the ground as well. It was a good idea that they left the dogs a few miles away just in case their presence would be seen as more of a threat, especially with Shinjiru shadowing them.

He couldn't blame them if they weren't recognized after being thought dead for so long, that and Iruka down to his mannerisms (aside from his midback long hair) have changed greatly.

"Antelope, Zebra take these two impostors to interrogation—" the largest out of the six that surrounded them

"Lion stand down." A voice called from the gate, two more ANBU entered the scene.

There was a noise of annoyance but the command was heeded. "Hai. Fox-san."

The newcomers regarded the two travelers silently. "Hatake Kakashi? Umino Iruka?" it was said in a monotone accustomed to all ANBU but Iruka was first to react.

The tan man smiled. "Naruto-kun, it been a while."

Needless to stay the rest of the ANBU aside from the man that arrived with Fox was surprised to see him launch himself into this potential threat's arms.

It was going to take a long time to convince the council and the Hokage but Naruto wouldn't think of that for now because right now his two most important people were home.

_Today_

The Hatake household was more noisy than usual with the dogs in the yard and all the residents complete, Sasuke and Naruto just arrived from a particularly long mission the night and their weird clan of four dogs and fifteen dogs were complete.

Kakashi had grown into foregoing his mask when he was at home but it took the younger residents longer to get used to the sight. He ate with a deliberate slowness and those at the table seemed to slow down as well to wait for him. The miso soup was cold by the time Naruto and Sasuke wordlessly began cleaning up the dishes.

"We need to talk. All of us." Kakashi cleared his throat in the same way he tried to clear the atmosphere, the dogs were shuffling in or listening in from the open sliding door that connected the yard and the kitchen. Aya perched up on Naruto's shoulder and nuzzled her face into his neck in greeting.

The two boys sat across Iruka and Kakashi, the chunnin's hand rested on Kakashi's loosely clenched fist on the table. "Tsunade has informed me that I'll be the next Hokage of the Leaf Village, in a year's time." He took a moment to look at the faces around the table. "But that's not the point. What I'm saying is, you'll be in more danger now than you ever were since you decided to involve your lives with me please. Just please be careful." The last part was muttered, his shoulders fell, it's been a long time since he's cared for other people that weren't dead. To think Iruka was just one person and he couldn't even protect his husband every since moment, what about everyone at his table now?

Naruto's large grin spoiled the grave atmosphere "Ah, you don't have to worry about us Kakashi-sensei. We're a family now right? We protect our own… dad." The blonde flushed pink at the last word, used so sparingly it felt so surreal to hear it. Sasuke blushed a little as well, looking away from the scene to something of interest outside the window.

Kakashi smiled. It was official just a few weeks ago, where the two boys in front of him became part of his clan's registry together with Iruka. The chunnin shared his smile and nudged his side playful, calling him a silly duckling for worrying so much about nothing, they weren't watching over genin after all but full grown ninja.

The atmosphere cleared after that, all of them returning to the pace of their lives before the next mission scroll came to their door.

"_Hello Daughter."_

_It felt like a daze, nausea overtaking her sense as layers of dust and light were shed from the surface of the forest, her shepherd, she had to find her shepherd. But as she pulled on the snare around her ankle, slowly the urgency also began to fall away and ahead of her the source of the voice was a clumped bunch of the shining dust. The dust caught against the light of the rising sun like the stalagmites that hung from trees in the first days of spring, it formed what look like a large wolf. _

_It spoke in an echo of voices, the voices of all her fathers before her that lived in this ancestral land. _

"_Father." She dipped her head, old manners ingrained in her blood surfaced. _

"_Would you take this gift Daughter? The life of these lands?" the echo was soft, like a flock of chirping birds. _

"_As my Father wishes." She kept her gaze down, sensing the joy in the entity before her but as quickly as it appeared, a breeze blew the dust towards her and it faded all to nothing. _

_In the distance she hears the voice of her Sun and Moon and pack and she runs to them. _

Aya wakes with a start, coming to her sense and feeling the warmth surrounding her and the kick of pups in her belly, small for now but they would grow. Naruto is still asleep and she stays curled up against his warm belly but she feels a hand stroke her head. She's woken Sasuke. They meet each other's gaze and the hand falls away and mutually they both close their eyes again. He was after all sharing one bed with Naruto purely against his will because she insisted and since they all knew so little on the practices of her kind and her needs during this delicate time they decided to indulge in her whims as long as they were within reasonable bounds. Those whims just included sleeping in the company of other chakra emitting beings.

Aya yawns and curls around herself tighter, a breeze seems to have come in from the window.

"Are you sure those are the same dogs?"

"They wouldn't require the highest clearance if it wasn't and may I say the file was so easy to overlook."

**A/N: hmm I know it's short and the next chapter might take a while (DGD will be updated in between so don't worry!) but let me know how things are going so far **


End file.
